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Re: Travel to Japan

Summer can be expensive for people traveling in general because those are the holiday season for non-Japanese. It's more expensive to travel within Japan during winter since it's the busiest time of year. If you go around New Years Eve/New Years, there will be a lot more festivals and celebrations. 大晦日(oomisoka) and お正月 (oshougatsu) are considered the Christmas of Japan.

I went to Japan in December 2008 to visit my relatives, and it was well worth it. If you really want a taste of Japanese culture I encourage everyone to go around late-December to early-January. Tip: It can be cold so dress warmly! Air-conditioners can act as a heater, but most houses aren't built to store heat so the other rooms will be cold.

Re: Travel to Japan

If you're in for anime/manga things, try Akiharaba in Tokyo. It is a huge, I mean huge, shopping complex. You'd see quite a lot of stores on anime and manga stuff. It's also full of electronic goods. High end stores are mostly in Shibuya, also in Tokyo. Well it is the fashion center, so to speak. The Shibuya crossing, near the Hachiko exit (do you know that? the dog? ), is the busiest crossing of all Japan. Try getting lost in the crowd there. It is fun! Shibuya 109, a popular shopping store for ladies, is also near the Shibuya crossing.

Visit Kyoto if you'd like a piece of Japanese History - it is the old capital of Japan. Most of their temples and shrines are in this city. They are beautiful, mesmerizing even. I highly suggest visiting this place. I had a fresh visit to Kyoto last fall. The autumn colors definitely made the shrines and temples a notch more beautiful, but if you'd like the best shot, I suggest visiting Kyoto in Spring, when sakura blooms.

Osaka is close to Kyoto so you might want to go there as well. Osaka is generally considered the food capital of Japan, so yes, eat! There's also the Osaka Castle, drop by when you have time.

Nara is also close to Kyoto, less than an hour by local train, it is where you can find roaming deers, as in shika! Does that ring any bells? Yes, Shikamaru Nara of Naruto. Haha! Visit Toudai-ji, where the Great Buddha as in the biggest Buddha is housed. It's easy to move around in Nara, the temples are walking distance around each other. Give it a shot.

Tokyo is two hours away from Kyoto, through the Shinkansen (bullet train), so it should be no problem. The shinkansen is the easiest, most comfortable land transportation mode. It is also the most expensive. You can also take the local trains, longer time travel but cheaper. The main hassle of this is the changing of train lines to get to the destination. There is also the option of bus, cheaper as well, longer travel time compared to shinkansen but slightly shorter travel time compared to local train in some cases.